Simpson extols black tennis exhibit

By Dan SpearsAssistant Sports Editor

Monday

Jan 21, 2008 at 12:36 AMJan 21, 2008 at 1:25 PM

Friend of Arthur Ashe. Neighbor of Althea Gibson. The number of tennis memories in the head of Wilmington native Lenny Simpson could fill volumes.But one thing that sticks out most of all? A cheeseburger."We're in the clubhouse waiting," at the U.S. Open, Simpson said. "Stan Smith, Rod Laver, (Ken) Rosewall, John Newcombe ... we're all waiting for our matches and Ashe wanted to know if I wanted to go to lunch with him."I'm sitting there with some of the greatest players in the world, and I had a cheeseburger and french fries. And it cost like 6 or 7 bucks! Remember, this is 1964."That moment, and many others like it, were happily remembered over the weekend as the International Tennis Hall of Fame permanently returned its "Breaking The Barriers" exhibit to its museum in Newport, R.I.Simpson was one of several guests invited to the weekend festivities; he also was present in New York for last year's U.S. Open, when the exhibit debuted in coordination with Gibson's induction into the Court of Champions at Flushing Meadow.Creating opportunitiesSimpson and his family grew up next door to Dr. Hubert Eaton, the man who allowed Gibson to move from Harlem to Wilmington in order to play tennis.He learned to play on Eaton's court at age 5 and played his first tournament at age 8 in Durham. After attending Williston Junior High, he moved north, attending prep schools in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.But his tennis skills continued to improve, and he was one of many junior players brought together by Dr. Robert W. Johnson, the legendary Virginia coach and pioneer of black tennis."Dr. Johnson's goal was to expose as many black athletes to tennis and teach them the game," Simpson said. "Althea Gibson, who lived next door, with Dr. Eaton. Arthur Ashe was part of this. I met him at the age of 9."Simpson honed his skills through the American Tennis Association, founded after the U.S. Tennis Association would not allow black players into its events. Eventually, however, that rule was lifted, and Simpson was given a wild card entry into the 1964 U.S. Open at age 15, making him the youngest player in tournament history in the men's singles draw.He played in three U.S. Opens, but that first one stays with him most.After winning in the first round, Ashe was his second-round foe. The legendary player was seeded, and Simpson said the seeded players received matches on the stadium court at Forest Hills.But time delays forced their match to the grandstand court."Thank God they were running late, because I was so nervous and so scared. If we'd have played in the stadium, I would have never made it," Simpson said.The smaller court, however, couldn't calm Simpson's nerves completely."I remember he was never going to give me a thing, but he was going to get me into it," Simpson said. "He threw up a lob and I missed the ball. As we changed sides, he said, 'What is wrong with you? Just relax. It's just like being in the back yard at Dr. Johnson's.' And I played better. But I never had anything to say about beating him."Wealth of storiesThe "Breaking The Barriers" project came from Gary Cogar, museum director for the ITF. His idea to honor the pioneers of black tennis got off to a much slower start than he expected, however."Right from the beginning, we knew it had to be told from the perspective of the people that told it," Cogar said. "The first 10 calls, I didn't get anywhere. Next 15, I got one. But as soon as I got one story, I could call the people they talked about and it slowly starting opening up. And by the time we were at the end, it had snowballed."We continue to take their stories even today. This history doesn't end with the exhibit."For the U.S. Open, Cogar's interviews and photos turned into an 80-foot banner filled with history, accompanied by a DVD with interviews from players and proteges, as well as several exhibit boxes full of memorabilia."I learned so much about black tennis ... and I was in the middle of all of it," Simpson said. "I learned so much about the great players before us. To see that exhibit at the U.S. Open and all the history and all those people coming in to spend the time to read about all these people they had no clue about, it was phenomenal."To see Althea Gibson finally get her due ... you just had to be there to feel that feeling inside you. And see how those people responded to that."Afterward, Simpson returned to his Knoxville, Tenn., area home, where he is co-owner of Centre Court Racquet Club - the culmination of a 26-year dream, he says. He still returns to Wilmington two or three times each year to visit his parents and sister. Eventually, he would like to bring the "Breaking The Barriers" exhibit to Wilmington; Cogar said the ITF will be making replicas because of its success and ease of transportation."We think it's very important, especially for young black players, to know their history," Cogar said. "They need heroes. The stories are out there."(Simpson) was at that pivotal junction between Althea and Arthur, and he saw so much of this history. He's gonna write a book."If he doesn't, he should - or I'll shoot him. Because this is some great stuff."

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